AmScope OMAX 40X-2000X Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical Stage and Coaxial Coarse/Fine Focusing Knob

The media could not be loaded. I have had this microscope since 2019, and it is now 2025 and this thing is still going strong. This microscope makes quality images and is very sturdy. I appreciate the ability to go all the way to 2000x zoom. The led light makes for a great experience when viewing as well. Fantastic microscope. Zero complaints with this bundle.

(UPDATED REVIEW)This is an update to the review below. I must state that, after I wrote the first review I was immediately contacted by OMAX customer support. To be honest, I am not sure how they got my phone number...I assume through my Amazon account. A "tech" called and left a message. He stated that he would be happy to try a few things to get the microscope working properly. Unfortunately, I had already packed and mailed the first microscope back to the factory so it was too late. I agree with some reviewers that the microscope needs to come with a BASIC instruction manual. I am not a first time user of microscopes so it assembled with ease. However, I am sure some people would really need a basic guide.My second microscope arrived and is working PERFECTLY. Thanks!Thanks to OMAX for the amazing customer support and for reading the reviews on Amazon. It really shows they care! I have not had the same luck with their competitor Amscope. They were quite rude to me when I needed assistance.(BEGIN ORIGINAL REVIEW)When the microscope arrived I was really exited and began to assemble it immediately. One of the FIRST things I noticed, while assembling, was that the lens at the base of the viewing scope (the one that faces down when you attach the viewing head to the base with the knurled locking screw)was glued in place at a slight angle. It wasn't flush in the hole that the lens was supposed to go in and there was a large glob of glue (optic cement) on the side.I desperately wanted this NOT to be an issue and, when I first started using the scope...it didn't seem to be. Then, as I increased magnification more and more, I began to notice that focus was IMPOSSIBLE at 1000x or 2000x magnification. I tried slide after slide and to check the focus. I could NEVER get a clean or crisp focus and I became fully aware that this lens placement was the issue.So, with a heavy heart, I decided that this microscope HAD to be exchanged.I am going to order another one of these microscopes because I am SURE that the first one suffered from human error during the manufacturing process and feel the microscope, if built properly, must be a good product from all that I have read. So, here we go again...

My 8-year-old son wants to be a marine biologist, and got a fishtank for his birthday. We're moving away from mindless toys and getting him things he can use to explore the world. When given the choice between a telescope and microscope he wanted a microscope so that he could see the microbes living in the tank with his fish.This was going to be my first microscope purchase, and I wanted to get something that was not a toy, but would serve him now and far into the future (read "high school"). I did a lot a research, and decided to go with this OMAX LED (won't heat up and cook the slides or burn the boy) binocular (much more comfortable for viewing) microscope. This microscope definitely delivers the goods! All the pieces were secure in its styrofoam packing case and once put together, everything worked perfectly. It is true that there is not much of a manual, but I really did not need one to put the microscope together and only needed to view the YouTube video once to really understand the features. The microscope is solid and heavy, and the eyepieces more than survived some excitement-induced clumsiness on the part of my son (he dropped one...twice). You MUST purchase glass slides and glass covers (I made sure to do so), and you might consider also purchasing iodine and a couple of other stains (pay attention, Amazon...I had to get the stains somewhere else!), but within 20 minutes we were looking at onion cells, plant cells from leaves from houseplants, and other cool stuff.From looking online at various pictures of various things, we'll be able to see most of the things we want at 400-1000x magnification (onion cells were clearly visible at 200x), but the extremely high (and much lower) power will give us a ton of flexibility. Once the other stains get here, we'll be able to look at those fish tank microbes, blood and other cells—just about anything.If I'm going to plop down my hard earned money, I better get what I pay for. This microscope is definitely delivers the goods, and I'm looking forward to years of looking at the invisible world with my son.